


i had a heart once

by bpdnewtgeiszler



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Movie: Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Recovery, Spoilers for Pacific Rim Uprising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 20:44:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14144193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bpdnewtgeiszler/pseuds/bpdnewtgeiszler
Summary: the best way to drag out the man you love from his brain control by the precursors? bring up old, pointless arguments.post-uprising newt/hermann fix-it fic because you can never have too many of these





	i had a heart once

This was a ridiculous idea.

He was desperate. Despite gaining greater clearance after the kaiju attack, they were still hesitant for Hermann to visit Newt after their last encounter. He had begged; he needed to see that they hadn’t harmed Newt, that something resembling the brilliant scientist was still in there, battling until the end. They had informed him he needed to wait until after the interrogations, until signs of recovery were present. After days of arguing with Pentecost, he’d reluctantly agreed to give Hermann the chance to finally visit him. And this was how he would spend it.

“You’ve got five minutes,” they had instructed him. Any contact or threats and he would be escorted out of the cell. Dread flowed through his body, causing him to tighten his grip on the cane. Hermann hoped his prediction was correct; the kaiju patterns used to be similar, a pattern discernible that could explain future events. But Newt was never predictable.

As Hermann stepped into the cell, he was greeted with chilled air hitting his face. The cell was dark, yet the figure in the centre was unmistakeable. Newt, restrained in a chair. He appeared skeletal, his shirt hanging off of his skinner frame. The food they shared at the Shatterdome was not incredible but it didn’t stop Newt from complaining about his hunger after working in the laboratory for hours. Hermann tried to ignore the marks of blood decorating the ground, dripping from the wrists which thrashed against his bonds. This wasn’t Newt.

“He’s not here,” a voice filled the air, as if echoing his thoughts. It lacked the energy of Newt’s - instead, it was darker, scraping against the walls with a raspy tone.

Interrupting the imposter, Hermann let the briefcase drop to the floor, the resulting clang pulsating around the cell. “Do you know what this is?”

Newt’s head tilted, an act that seemed animalistic. His eyes were darker, narrowing slightly as Hermann moved closer.

“This is the briefcase,” he began to explain. “That you almost lost after the lecture in England-”

Before he could look up, Hermann was interrupted with a rapid “That was your fault and you know it!” The fast-paced delivery and increased volume could only mean one thing. Bingo.

“If you had not been complaining about not being able to launch into one of your kaiju rambles, you wouldn’t have distracted me!” He tried to slow himself, not wanting to be too harsh. This felt familiar - arguments with little substance, often meaning little but an excuse for them both to talk. A warmth flowed through his body.

“If you hadn’t brought up your stupid maths to explain kaiju movements when the tissue clearly showed-”

“Because it was a lecture centered around how mathematics can predict and explain-”

“The biology was way cooler than that!”

“At least I wasn’t the one who almost lost us our jobs and humiliated us in a room of distinguished mathematicians!”

“‘Least I wasn’t the one who left-” realising the reality of the situation, Newt’s voice trailed off. He was in control, though it was fleeting. Hermann rushed to his side, dropping the cane as he grabbed ahold of Newt’s hand. There went the ‘No Contact’ rule.

“Hermann,” Newt softly whispered, squeezing his hand. He was here. Hermann could save him. His mouth opened to speak, throw out any words that could fill the gap left in those ten years. Before he could vocalise his thoughts, his body twisted; the mental equivalent of the Precursors throwing him against the wall. 

Slowly inching his hand away, Hermann whispered “Time is up,” picking up the briefcase as he left. He tried best to ignore the empty screams tainting the air behind him.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop the soft smile as he drifted past the bewildered scientists who had just watched the encounter, mouths agape.

“Newt’s still in there,” he confirmed to Pentecost, “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by https://newtbiszler.tumblr.com/post/172332758690/hermann-realizes-very-early-on-that-the-best-way headcanon because even though writing is scary this was Too Good to pass up. title is from human kittens by ajj. feedback always super appreciated!


End file.
